Penguins This ‘n’ ‘at

Although I don’t have any fresh ideas for an in-depth article, a couple of thoughts were bangin’ around in the ‘ol brainpan. So I thought I’d scrape them together into a Mulligan stew of a post.

Cookie Monster

In the wake of the crushing shoulder-to-head hit he received from since suspended Brenden Dillon the other night, Penguins forward Noel Acciari has been diagnosed with a concussion. Needless to say, he won’t play this weekend.

There are those who’ve been critical of Acciari’s contributions, or lack of (three goals in 39 games). I’m not one of ’em. To me, “Cookie’s” been just what the doctor ordered. Indeed, the stocky 5’10” 209-pounder does all the dirty work while providing a much needed underpinning of grit.  Noel’s blocked 59 shots, has won 55.1 percent of his faceoffs and leads the club with 90 hits…no easy feat playing center.

No, Acciari’s underlying 5v5 metrics aren’t anything to write home about (41.11 Corsi, 40.46 xGF%), although he’s hovering around the ridiculously low 10-percent mark in offensive zone starts. However, with only 13 5v5 goals against (and 13 for) he’s been one of the toughest Pens forwards to score against. Which is precisely why Kyle Dubas signed him to a 3-year deal last summer.

Bottom line? We’re 21-14-4 with Noel in the lineup and 2-3-3 without him.

The Good Ship Penguin

Speaking of Dubas, being hired to guide the good ship Penguin after Ron Hextall steered it into the iceberg was roughly akin to being named captain of the Titanic and tasked with fixing the hull while it was sinking.

Although Kyle hasn’t scored a bullseye on every move, when you take into account the dire situation he faced and what little wiggle room he had to work with cap-wise?

I give him high marks.

To my eye Acciari, Alex Nedeljkovic and especially Lars Eller (pictured), who I frankly thought was washed up, have exceeded expectations. Erik Karlsson and Ryan Graves have been minor disappointments, although to borrow from an old Led Zeppelin classic, there’s still time to change the rope they’re on.

Only Reilly Smith could be termed a flat-out disappointment and misstep that needs to be fixed. (I for one, wouldn’t be averse to swapping the slump-riddled forward to the Coyotes for old friend Jason Zucker.)

I think Dubas has done an especially good job of sifting the market for potential hidden gems like hard-nosed kid defenseman John Ludvig and more recently forward Jesse Puljujärvi. While the jury is still out on both, adding them for nothing was the epitome of low-risk, potential medium-to-high-reward moves.

And if they do pan out?

It’ll be like found money.

Speaking of, PenguinPoop colleague Caleb Di’Natale has a player in mind who could significantly boost our prospect pool at minimal cost.

Need a hint as to the kid’s identity? Let’s just say we wouldn’t be “Wong” to sign him.

Stay tuned for Caleb’s take.

Oily to Bed

A closing ditty. The Oilers are rumored to be interested in Jake Guentzel.